Niwot track makes noise at Broomfield Shootout

Competing with a shorthanded squad due to spring break, Niwot High School track and field still managed to find success at the Broomfield Shootout on Saturday, March 23. The Cougars girls took first in the team standings while the boys tied for 12th among 35 participating programs.

NHS assistant coach Kelly Christensen admitted that it was a low-stress meet for his squad, but he remained impressed by his relay teams, in particular. On the girls' side, Niwot took first in the 4x800 and 4x400-meter relays, second in the 4x200, and third in the 4X100. The Niwot boys took first in the 4x800.

"We're just trying to see where we're at with some kids and change training if we need to or stay the same track," Christensen said.

Looking at some of the best individual performances, defending Class 4A girls shot put state champion Jade West produced the farthest throws in both shot put and discus. Her shot put heave of 42 feet, 11 inches marked a new personal outdoor best.

"It's honestly a great start for my season," the Niwot junior said. "This is my second meet, so I can't really complain."

West, who took first in the shot put at Windsor's Murray Kula Invitational the weekend prior, wasn't fazed by the large amount of opposing talent that gathered at Broomfield High School.

"There was heavy competition, but I knew where I was seeded," West said. "I knew where I stood compared to other girls and I was honestly just competing against myself."

Niwot's other primary thrower, senior Chloe Mitchell, took third in the discus at 110 feet, 8 inches, only slightly shorter than West's winning toss of 114-4. While the two technically compete against each other at meets, they've formed a strong bond.

"She's my favorite person," West said of Mitchell. "We kind of bounce off each other, especially in discus because I've definitely looked up to her a lot these last two years. She's what has pushed me to get better, and now we just bounce off each other. It's a really good dynamic."

Other Niwot girls who performed well at the Broomfield Shootout include seniors Julia Rudolph (8th in the 400), Kendall Madine (7th in the 800), and Olivia Alessandrini (8th in the 3,200), and juniors Sarah Perkins (3rd in the 3,200), Reese Kasper (4th in the 100), Eliana Henriques (8th in the 100 and 9th in the 200), and Kate Schmidthuber (4th in the 200).

On the boys' side, freshman Quinn Sullivan stood out with a first-place finish in the 800-meter. His time of 1:57.62 was only .25 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

Two Niwot boys also had top-20 finishes in the 3,200: junior Keegan Geldean (7th) and sophomore Gabriel Marshall (8th). Christensen added that he has been impressed by the growth of senior Aidan Jiang, who placed 28th in the mile at 4:42.66.

On Saturday, March 30, the Cougars will host their second-ever on-campus track and field meet. In what was called the NoCo Series #1 meet last year, the Niwot girls took first and the boys placed second in the team standings.